A/N – You're going to get a little more insight into the prince in the rewrite, which begins in this chapter. Um, I think that's all. Oh, the reason I put up so many chapters at once is because chapter 2 and 3 stayed almost the same. Ok, now that's all. :)
Ivy returned to Evelyn's chambers to find them empty. She changed quickly out of the fancy dress and put her own clothes back on. She laid the dress on the sofa, and left the room. She hurried down to the servant's quarters to help with dinner.
Mehri saw Ivy coming down the stairs and hurried over to her.
"Well, how was your first day with Lady Evelyn?" Mehri asked eagerly.
"I'll tell you later," Ivy said softly, noticing the servants watching them intently. Mehri looked puzzled, but shrugged, grabbed Ivy's hand and led her over to the large stove.
"Start stirring," she ordered, and Ivy leaned over to see a huge cauldron of stew simmering on the stove. She seized the huge spoon and began to stir. She felt Mehri's inquiring eyes following her, but she focused her attention on the stew.
She found she couldn't stop thinking of the prince. His arrogance was exactly the same as it had been that day at the chateau. How dare he just assume that anything that the "peasants" thought was beautiful couldn't be thought of as beautiful by anyone else! She went over in her mind what she had said to him. She slapped herself mentally. She hadn't really put up the strongest argument. But it was the best that she could have done, seeing as she had been so nervous.
"Have you heard of Lady Evelyn's cousin?" Ivy's head flew up at the sound of this. The two servants across the stove were speaking to each other.
"Yes, I heard she is beautiful…but why weren't we informed of her coming?"
"I don't rightly know. I heard she is very shy and doesn't like a lot of fuss."
"I heard she talked with the prince and that he was beside himself with anger. Sounds like she insulted him." Ivy chuckled at this.
"What I wouldn't have given to see that!" The two ladies laughed, and went back to work.
Ivy smiled secretly to herself. She looked down at her plain brown dress, and the rag on her hair. She sighed; she could still feel the silk on her skin.
"What nonsense," she said softly to herself, and returned her attention to the stew.
*********
"You! You're the cousin?" Mehri was beside herself with glee at Ivy's story of the day.
"Yes! I couldn't very well say no to Evelyn, and besides, what harm could it have done? Right?" Ivy asked worriedly.
"Oh darling, nothing! It must have so much fun…I would have loved to see you, all dressed up and talking with the prince."
"Ugh! He is such an arrogant, haughty…" Ivy took a deep breath. "To think! I actually reprimanded him! The prince! Some impression that must have left."
"Even better than pastries," Mehri laughed.
Ivy laughed as well. Then she became thoughtful. "I wonder where Evelyn ran off to?"
Mehri gasped. "Haven't you heard then?"
Ivy turned a puzzled face to her.
"Sounds like some old flame of hers has returned to the palace, completely unexpected. According to the rumors, they used to be engaged."
"Ohhh. That must have been it. She looked so shocked, but I couldn't tell what she was looking at."
Mehri was about to answer, but Maria interrupted them.
"Lights out, ladies!" she called, and the sound of candles blowing out was heard throughout the room.
"Good night, Mehri," Ivy said.
"Good night, Miss Scarlett."
********
The prince sat at dinner, lost in his own thoughts, while his parents chatted about some country or another.
That Lady Scarlett…how dare she reprove him! And yet… he couldn't help but be very taken with her. She had something most courtiers didn't. She had talked to him as if he was a normal person, which his uncle always said was the reason he was so arrogant. She had talked about the garden with such feeling…
What nonsense, he scolded himself. She talked about the garden with such feeling because she has no right sense of place. She is a noble, and nobles shouldn't be taken with things that the peasants love so much!
Yet, his uncle was always telling him that if he was to be the king of this land, he needed to change.
"The peasants will be your subjects, you know," he had told the prince once. "If you are going to rule them, you should know who they are, how they think."
Deep down, the prince did want to be a good ruler. And something in Miss Scarlett's green eyes had told him that maybe she was the one that could help him change…
********
"Lady Evelyn?" Ivy knocked shyly on the door the next morning. "Are you there?"
Suddenly the door burst open. Evelyn came out, her hair mussed up and large circles under her eyes.
"Ivy!" she said brightly, as if nothing was wrong. "Come in, come in!"
Ivy came into the room, puzzled.
"Are you well, milady?" Ivy asked.
"What? Oh, well to tell the truth…no, I'm not really." Then her eyes got wide. "You must tell me all about yesterday! I cannot believe I missed it! I have gotten so many compliments on you!"
"Really?" Ivy said, surprised. "Well, you left and I was about to go back, but then I saw these gorgeous gardens, so I just had to go see them. And then when I was walking through them, who else walks up to me but the prince!"
"The prince!" Evelyn said disgustedly, making a face.
"I know," Ivy said in agreement. "I actually lectured him on how just because peasants think gardens are beautiful, doesn't mean that the higher class can't also."
"That's wonderful! Although, I must say, it is very lucky you still have your head," Evelyn said.
Ivy laughed. "But may I ask what happened to you?"
"Oh…well, I suppose I can tell you. I once was engaged to a man named Julius. He was wonderful, but we realized that we made better friends than lovers. So we broke it off. My mother, however, was horrified and sent me here immediately. And then, yesterday, out of the blue, he came! And I was expecting just to catch up with him, but then he springs it on me that he wants to get back together!"
Ivy gasped. Evelyn clearly was distraught.
"Oh Ivy, I really need something to get my mind off of this…" she looked at Ivy imploringly. Ivy, realizing what she was going to say, shook her head.
"No, once was enough."
"Oh, but Ivy, think what will happen to me! People will ask, where is that charming cousin of yours? Did she only stay for one day? Why would she only come for one day? And they'll whisper behind my back and…"
"I will do it only if you show me the garden today," Ivy said.
"Oh, I will! Anything you want!" Evelyn jumped up and down.
So Ivy got dressed up, and she and Evelyn went outside to make the rounds again. It was well after four o'clock when Ivy insisted they stop.
"Show me your garden, at least," Ivy asked. Her dress, an emerald green, was making her feel very hot and she longed for her simple, unruffled servants dress again.
"Oh, alright then," Evelyn said. They went back to her chambers, where Ivy changed, and then left for the garden.
"This is it," Evelyn said.
Ivy stared around in shock. It was a large square area of dirt, weeds, and broken branches.
"This is going to take a while," she said in shock.
"Oh however long it takes, I do not care, as long as it comes back," Evelyn said. "I will leave you to look around and see what can be saved and what can't."
Ivy just nodded and began to pick her way through the tangled mess. She pulled up thousands of weeds and inspected the roots that were still there. She was so busy inspecting the dead ivy climbing up the wall that she didn't hear someone coming up behind her.
"You indeed are as amazing I thought."
Ivy yelped and spun around. She saw the prince, with the same superior look on his face, standing at the entrance. She was sure he hadn't meant 'amazing' in a good way.
"Whatever do you mean, your highness?" she asked in a cold voice.
"Well, you lecture me about gardens, and then I find you, not only working in a garden, but wearing servants clothes as well." He looked with cold humor at her garb.
"A fancy dress is no way to work in a garden, and besides, I told your highness that I loved gardens," she said, but kicking herself mentally for such a stupid statement.
"And you must have meant it."
"I did."
He walked toward her, not caring to step over the branches, but instead crushing them underneath his boots.
"This isn't much of a garden, is it, Lady Scarlett?" he asked with a sneer on his face.
"Evelyn wished me to fix it for her."
The prince chuckled.
"What is so funny?" she asked.
"If ever I have seen something that needed fixing, it's this garden," he replied.
She rolled her eyes.
"Actually, Miss Scarlett, I have confession to make," he said, becoming quite serious.
"Do you?"
"I…well, that is to say, I…I was wondering if I could join you in fixing this garden."
Her jaw dropped in shock. "Why on earth would you want to do that?" she asked, sounding a little more stunned than she had meant to.
His eyes became cold and hard again. "I just would, that's all."
"I did not mean it like that, I just meant…why the change of mind?"
"Never mind, forget I said anything." He began to walk away.
"No wait! Your highness!" she began to run after him. "I would be honored if you worked with me," she said.
"Well, then we shall commence tomorrow. I will meet you here at one o'clock, precisely," he said.
She fought to keep back a smile, and nodded.
"Until tomorrow then," he said, giving her a slight nod of the head.
"Goodbye," she said, curtsying shakily.
Laughing to herself, she went back to work.